


The Outsiders III

by Magnus_Vappis_Deus



Series: The Outsiders [1]
Category: The Outsiders - Magnus_Vappis_Deus
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:47:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28365654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magnus_Vappis_Deus/pseuds/Magnus_Vappis_Deus
Summary: Vappis is just like any other weeb, and dreams about going to another world filled with monsters and magic.  A world where he is the hero of the story with god like powers and gets a harem of woman.  In short, Vappis wants to be an Isekai Protagonist.  At least, that was what he wanted.  Died in a car crash, Vappis and his friends have been summoned by the world tree Yggdrasil to go and kill the 5 heretics in another world before they can kidnap 500 people from their world for a death game.  This is everything he wanted.  A mission given to him by a greater being.  A chance to be the hero in a world filled with monsters and magic.  A chance to get the harem of woman that every Isekai protagonist always wanted.  So how.  How did things go so wrong.
Series: The Outsiders [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2077347





	1. Chapter I

“Huh, you’re not wearing it?!” the driver asked, his eyes darting at me before returning to the road. Skin like milk chocolate his left hand clutched onto the steering wheel as his right moved to turn down the volume. “But you look exactly like him.”  
“Yeah, I tried it on this morning but it felt tight.” the boy lied, “I probably grew or something.” His eyes glued on his phone, quickly scrolling through his feed on Instagram whilst a small girl in the back quietly dug through her bag. Jet black hair tightly bound in a ponytail, her eyes gradually widened as she dug even deeper into the bag.  
“Vappis, did I leave my charger at your house!?” The girl shouted suddenly, slightly panicking.  
“Yeah, it was near my shelf,” Vappis politely answered , turning to hand her the charger “you should be more careful Emilia, you alwa-”  
“It's the wrong one.” Emilia cut him off. Pocketing the charger, she handed him a different one. She turned towards the driver, “Hey pedo, mind driving back to this dumbasses house?”  
“Sure, if you’d stop calling me a pedo” The driver angrily retorted, making a U-turn.  
“Jacob, we told you this already” the boy in the back said smoothly as if he was a mafia boss, “we’ll stop when you stop simping over a 15 YEAR OLD!”  
“I think that's better than simping after a 4 year old, Sebastian.” the girl next to him remarked. “Even though she doesn’t really look like it.” she continued in disdain, pulling up a picture of Tsunomaki Watame to show Emilia as the car slowed to a stop.  
“Hey, that doesn’t change the fact that Jacob was simping over a 15 year old.” Sebastian shot back.  
“Sebastian, I told you this already. I was only going to simp over her for a week before going back to my true idol. The Se-”  
“Isn’t she also underage” Vappis abruptly spoke up.  
“For your information,” Jacob counter snobily, “she turned 18 last month so technically, she is legal.”  
“And tell me, how long have you been simping after her.” The girl next to Sebastian shot back. Jacob sat there, silent. Quietly waiting for the light to turn green.  
“WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU EVEN ON MARIA!” Jacob spat out furiously.  
“No one, I just like the chaos” Maria responded camly whilst Emilia quietly snickered beside her, struggling to contain her laughter.  
“Oh look, it’s a white truck.” Vappis muttered underneath his breath as a truck came speeding towards them. “How much would I have to pay for them to run me over?”  
“WHY DO YOU WANT TO GET HIT BY A TRUCK!” Emilia roared.  
“He wants to get Isekaied” Sebastian spoke up.  
“Isekaied?” Emilia asked, unfamiliar with the term.  
“It’s when you get transported to another world.” Maria began “usually they get there by getting hit by a white truck. It's really popular in anime right now.”  
“Vappis. Stop trying to be a shitty isekai protagonist, it’s not gonna happen.” Jacob scolded as the light turned green.  
“No. I'm going to be a shitty isekai protagonist with a personality more bland than a piece of paper with a harem of girls that simp after me for no reason and be overpowered as fuck, just because.”  
“So…” Sebastian began, “you want to be Shin.”  
“Shin? From the Wise Man’s Grandchild right?” Vappis asked. The light turned green, and Jacob began to turn left. “I don’t think he had a harem tho-” Bam! A truck slammed into the side of the car, knocking it over as it skid down the street. Sparks flew as the roof dragged itself against the asphalt floor before slamming into a lamp post, knocking it down. Gasoline sprayed into the air like a water fountain before forming a puddle and glass shards sprinkled the street as if it was salt in the dead of winter. The five of them lay there, in the car, motionless. Knocked out from the impact their bodies hang like marionettes. A ripped wire slouched out of the broken lamp post bending down to reach the pool of gasoline. Crackle A prelude to what was to come could faintly be heard before BOOM! The engine exploded. A sea of fire filled the street as the five that lay in the car became charcoal.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
When I woke up, the world was white. A simple endless void that stretched for eternity, and yet it felt like the end was right in front of me. Like I was looking at a white screen, or perhaps a mirror that was reflecting itself. Either way, I knew that this was no hospital. ‘Am I dead?’ The idea briskly invaded my thoughts before being quietly smothered away. ‘No I can’t be, this must be what it’s like to be unconscious.’ I solemnly looked down, and saw nothing but the endless void I saw before. ‘Did I look down?’ I tried moving my fingers but felt nothing. I tried my arms, my hands, my legs, even my toes to find nothing. ‘What the hell is going on.’ I began to panic. I looked down again, my eyes darted, looking for a semblance of a body, of anything. I saw nothing. Only the white void I was met with when I came here. I tried looking around, and was met with a flame. Almost silvery in color, I tried moving towards it. ‘Could I even move?’ I asked myself before quickly dismissing the idea. I moved closer to the silvery flame, before finding another one and another one. In my vision, I saw a total of four silvery flames. The silvery flames noticed me and began to drift closer towards me until we passed by each other. I slowed to a stop. ‘Is it a gas?’ I solemnly thought, before one of them suddenly stopped and sprinted after me. ‘NOPE NOPE NOPE NOT GAS NOT GAS’ I ran away. Quickly moving around the void, trying to lose as it chased after me like it was locked on. ‘FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK BAD GHOSTY BAD GHOSTY.’  
“You guys look like you're having fun.” A voice suddenly called out. ‘What?’ I turned around and saw a child standing above me. Light green hair that gently touched it’s back, bound back by a golden ribbon and clear hazelnut eyes that stared through me. Dressed in a simple white gown that resembled something you’d wear at the hospital, the child was beautiful. Seemingly genderless, the child resembled Hideri Kanzaki from Blend S, and he is a trap. I ran, sprinting faster and faster, away from the trap. I took a quick peek behind me and found it right behind me, leisurely floating by. If I could’ve cried, I would’ve. ‘IT’S A TRAP IT’S A TRAP IT’S A TRAP IT’S A TRAP’ I ran with all my might as that single thought was played on loop. “No matter how much you run you can escape me you know” I continued running. “This is getting annoying,” it said, and I stopped. I couldn’t move. Frozen, it dragged me back to where the rest of the silvery flames were. They stood unmoving. “Now then…” it began, pausing for a breath “my name is Yggdrasil, and all of you are dead.”


	2. Chapter II

‘I’m dead?’   
“Now, I’m sure that you all must be confused,” Yggdrasil began.  
‘No, I can’t be dead’  
“But you all died in a car crash.” The moment Yggdrasail uttered the word crash, the void began to invert, as space began to fold in on itself I stood at the crash. Scrap metal litter the road like shattered glass. Puddles of gasoline filled the street like polka dots, and a burning car that laid at the end of it all. I moved, walking closer to the car. The small bits of broken glass pressing against my feet, the slight warmth of the fire and the smell of gasoline in the air. I felt it all.   
‘This can’t be real. I must be dreaming.’  
“Vappis, you are not dreaming” Yggdrasil's voice rang clearly in my head. I moved closer to the car. I saw me. Body hanging upside down, my shattered glasses pressed up against my face as blood lightly dripped down my forehead. Singed hair danced in the passing breeze. A soft crackle could be heard before the car exploded and a wall of red and orange filled my sight, heat sank into every fiber of my being, burning me down layer by layer like a forest fire. I wanted to scream, but nothing came out. I could only feel a simple suffocating and burning sensation as the car exploded, and I was knocked back into the white void.   
“Do you all believe me now?” Yggdrasil asked, almost playfully.   
‘What do you want?’   
“So, I have a job for all of you.” I looked around and saw the silvery flames close by. ‘So that’s what a soul looked like, kinda weird if you ask me, but whatever.’  
“I need you to kill someone for me.” It’s voice was solem, quiet and dead serious.   
‘Aren’t you a god? Can’t you just kill them with a thought?’ I asked, completely confused by the request.  
“You might think that Vappis.” It began, before seemingly coming to a realization. “Oh right, you guys can’t hear each other, give me a moment.” A warm sensation quickly spread throughout my being before I heard something. “Vappis, where are you?” A familiar voice cried out.  
“Emilia? Is that you? I’m over here!” I cried out, trying to wave my hand to something. Following my voice, a silvery flame ran over, followed by 3 other flames. ‘What the..’   
“Vappis, do you know what’s going on?!!! Where are we? Why is everything all white? Why are you silvery and flamey? That thing said that I died and then I saw myself in the car crash. Are we dead?!” A silvery flame that I could only assume to be Emilia unloading in a panicky manner. Yggdrasil seemed to say something, but I couldn’t really hear. ‘If that’s Emilia, does that mean that Jacob, Maria and Sebastian are also here?’   
“Emilia…” I began warmly . “We died. We died in a car crash. Yggdrasil showed that to us earlier. We seem to be in Limbo and I think that the silver flame thing is what a soul looks like.” I looked at her, almost pitifully. ‘Why is a normie going to get Isekaied’ I thought to myself. “Maria! Sebastian! Pedo! You here?!” I called out.  
“Who are you calling a pedo?” Jacob’s voice rang out clearly from the flame on the left.   
“You, duh. Who else am I talking to.” I quickly responded.  
“I don’t know, Sebastian.” Jacob refuted.  
“Yeah, but you responded.” Maria chimed, her voice coming from behind me. That left the flame on my right to be Sebastian.  
“Are you done.” Yggrdasil looked at us, arms crossed and clearly pissed. “Now Vappis asked why can’t I just kill them myself since I am what you people would call a God, but…” Yggdrasil said, slightly annoyed. “I can’t because if I went down to that world to kill them, the world would self-destruct before you could say Fucking Weeb.” Satisfied with it’s explanation, Yggdrasil then demanded “Now go kill the Heratics for me you fucking weebs.” ‘Did a god just call me a Fucking Weeb’ “There are three of them. I don’t really know where they are so you’re just going to have to drag them out somehow.” ‘I must be hearing things, there’s no way a god would call someone a Fucking Weeb.’  
“Hey, so did you just call us a Fucking Weeb?” Sebastian asked.  
“Yeah, you got a pro-?” Yggrasil shot back.  
“Fuck yeah!!!” Jacobs' voice rang out, his soul slightly inflated from what I assumed to be from happiness.   
“Will you do it?” Yggdrasil asked, it’s voice exhibiting a calming feeling.   
“Yes.” We all said in unison.  
“...Yes.” Emilia whispered, her voice trailing behind ours. With that answer the world faded to black, and I fell asleep.  
____________________________________________________________  
It’s black. Pitch black. Unable to tell up from down, I tried to spit only to taste something bitter. I gagged only to swallow even more of the bitter substance as it forced its way down my throat and I forced my mouth shut. ‘Where am I.’ Stretching, I touched something hard. A smooth hard shell, my hand traced it’s walls until I touched a groove and the darkness disappeared. Bright green light filled the space as cracks began to form around the walls. Following the cracks on the wall, it began to curve as I realized it was a shell. I was inside a shell. ‘Was I reborn as a monster?’ The thought was quickly dismissed as I looked at my hands. It was the hand of a human’s. The smooth and hairless skin of a human. The walls began to crack even further until it shattered. Slamming into the floor, the repulsive liquid gushed out of the shell, and long damp hair blocked my view. On the floor, I tried to get up. I couldn’t. Lead like arms refused to move a single inch as my legs felt like they were buried in concrete.   
“Fuwa!” ‘Fuwa? What the hell is fuwa?’ “FUWA! FUWA! R UH CUDI MA, A SE IN FUWA!!!” ‘ARE YOU FUCKING WITH ME??!!!!! WHY CAN’T I SPEAK!!!!’ Left with no choice, I laid on the cold stone floor, waiting for someone to help. Waiting for help that will never come.


	3. Chapter III

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Jacob cackled as he walked around Vappis. Lying down on the cold stone floor naked, he hadn’t moved a single step from where he fell. Looking towards them, Vappis watched as Jacob who casually jogged around the brightly lit room, Maria who walked around reading a book she casually picked up, Sebastian who excitedly ran around the expansive room filled with books and corpses whilst Emilia who stood watching. Her cheers covered up by Jacob’s laughter, frustration slowly built up within the boy’s small body. Stretching out her hand, Emilia grabbed Vappis.   
Tenderly lifting him up, she asks “Are you going to put on any clothes?”  
“Do you think I can?” Vappis spat out. “I can’t even walk, yet alone dress myself.” Vappis paused, before smirking a little. “Unless you want to do it for me?”   
“No thanks.” Emilia promptly responded, her eyes diverted from Vappis, desperately looking for something to stare at apart from his bare body. Vappis slowly walked.  
“Emilia, don’t worry. There isn’t really anything to look at down there.” Jacob said amused.  
“That doesn’t change the fact that I don’t want to see his thing!!!” Emilia frantically countered, dropping Vappis. Stumbling back, Vappis’s legs shook like springs as his arms danced to maintain balance before slamming on the ground. His thing is fully exposed for all to see. ‘Great’ He quietly thought.  
“Ahhhhhhhh” Emilia sreeched, catching a glimpse of Vappis’s dick, she quickly turned away, slowly wheezing. Her breath strained as she struggled to calm herself down and tears could be seen at the corner of her eyes.  
“If your so disgusted by it, then cover him up.” Jacob sighed. “There are plenty of clothes over there” Jacob pointed to the pile of corpses that lined the book shelves, slouched against them.   
“I’m not going to steal a dead person’s clothes!” Emilia roared.   
“You were fine with it earlier,” Vappis teased.   
“That was different.” Emilia replied, flustered. Her back facing him “YOU WERE STARING AT ME!”  
“Hey!” Vappis demanded. “I didn’t expect to see fucking air bags strapped to your chest.”  
“Did you think I asked for them to be this big!”  
“Yes.” Maria stated flatly. “You wanted breast implants, remember?” Maria stated flatly.  
“I want them to be bigger, but not this big okay.” Emlia roared, glaring at Maria. Shrugging it off, Maria turned to Jacob.   
“Mind helping me dress him. I’m getting tired of seeing his dick.” Maria began as she began to undress the closest body near her. Seemingly asleep, the person was cold and still. No rot can be seen on the body, but they weren’t breathing either. A perfectly preserved corpse as if it was frozen in time. Taking off his robes, Jacob began to pick Vappis up. Sliding his arms into the sleeves of the robes, his hands disappeared into an endless void. Rolling up the sleeves until his tender hands could be seen, two balls could be seens on his wrists. Refusing to stay on his soldiers, the robes continued to slide down his shoulders until Maria gripped them tightly, folding the robes up until they no longer touched the ground, she wrapped the sash around his waist. Silver hair that stretched down his kees became bound back in a ponytail, and his ever hazelnut brown eyes shone.   
“Is there any water?” Vapes asked as Jacob put him back on the floor..  
“Give me a second.” Maria quickly responded as streaks of water streamed into her hand, slowly forming a ball of water. She brought the ball near his lips and Vappis began to drink the water.  
Eyes wide open, Emilia could only ask “How did you do that?”  
“Try thinking about having a ball of fire floating on your hand.” Jacob began. “Be very specific. Think about the size, how far above it is on your hand and how hot it is.” Pausing, Jacob hands erupted into flames. “If you did it right then you should get something like this.” Waving his hands around as if there was nothing wrong with them.  
“Stop that!!! You’ll burn your hands!!!” Emilia demanded, grabbing his hands she tried to stamp out the fire only to find that it was warm.  
“I can control the temperature of the fire.” Jacob smirked before erupting the fire into a pillar of flame. Emilia froze, but found that the ferocious flames that seemed to devour anything it touched was simply lukewarm. Before the temperature of the fire skyrockets, bathing the room in intolerable heat. Taking her hand away, Jacob grabbed them before letting go. Her hands remained unblemished as if nothing had happened to them. Emilia, dazed, asked Maria what Jacob just did.  
“He imagined how hot the flame was. Then he just made the flame bigger then hotter, and then had the fire go around your hand so it wouldn’t burn.” Maria began. “It’s really simple. You just have to think about it. But you have to be really specific about it or it wouldn’t work.” Streaks of water began to flow into her hand before exploding into steam and snow. “See. I just didn’t think about how big to make the water ball or the temperature of the water so the mana just went haywire and the water ball spell failed.”  
“Was that in the book you were reading?” Vapes quickly asked.  
“Yeah, but for some reason I can do what Jacob just did.” The book doesn’t really explain why though.”  
“It’s because I’m just that amazing” Jacob smirked.   
“Or it could just be because you're a furry.” Vapes quickly shot back, looking at the white cat ears that twitched on his head and the long tail that swayed as he walked.   
“Can it. I don’t want to hear it from someone who can’t even walk.”   
“What are you talking about. I can totally walk.” Vappis proclaimed confidently as he began to get up. His face scrunched up in pain as his knees bent.  
“Did you just use magic.” Jacob asked.  
“Yeah, it was pretty simple.” Vappis began. “I just imagined my thighs, calves, abs, and knees being strengthened by like 50% and then I instruc-”  
“What the hell!!!” Jacob roared. How did it take you like 5 seconds to figure out how to use magic. I spent the entire time you were crippled to learn to do that fire trick.”  
“Wow thanks.” Vappis muttered. “Is that fire trick really more important than helping me walk.” Jacob looked at Vappis. His eyes stared into Vappis’s and could only say one thing.   
“No one cares if you can walk. My fire trick is way more important.” Jacob stated as if it was gospel.  
“More important than Suisei.” Vappis asked.  
“Yes.” Jacob began. A bead of sweat slowly trailing down his forehead. “My fire trick is more important than Suisei.”   
“Heretic! You must be the one we were sent to kill!!!” Vappis proclaimed. Ready to charge at Jacob.   
“Stop fucking around.” Maria ordered.  
“Fine.” Vappis quickly responded. Dropping the act all together. “But honestly though. The Psychopathic Tetris goddess? Really? You could’ve no. That’s your Idol.” Paying no mind to what Vappis just said, Jacob shrugged it off.  
“I’m an Isekai Protagonist now. I’m going to be an overpowered piece of paper with a harem of women.” Jacob began, chuckling. “Besides. You know what happens to an Isekai protagonist.”  
“Yeah. I do.” Vappis replied. A silence hung between them as they understood what it meant. They will never go back home.


	4. Chapter IV

“Where’s Sebastian?” Vappis asked aloud, walking around the large library, stepping over the bodies that littered the floor.   
“He’s trying to do magic.” Maria replied.  
“Trying?” Vappis asked.  
“He can’t do it.” Jacob responded.  
“What do you mean can’t?” Vappis began, confused. “He should be able to. All of us could do it.”  
“I can’t use Magic.” Emilia spoke up.  
“Sorry about that.” Vappis looked at her apologetically.   
“It’s fine. Just teach me how to do it later.”   
“Got it.” They continued to walk. Tall shelves loomed over them as they waived their way through the maze-like library. As they walked, Vappis’s hand brushed against a dead body. A frigid chill shocked his skin. A chill that showed that they were long dead, and yet no rot can be. A perfectly preserved corpse that should be impossible in the warm library. After all, bacteria and fungus should have rotted the body until it can no longer be disquinshable and the heat should have made it easier for them to grow and yet no rot can be seen. Vappis stopped, couching down, he began to look at their nails. They were perfectly cut to the finger. There were no signs of the fingernail extending past the fingertips. The corpse should have been killed recently. Looking at their clothes, dust has set in heavily, piling up like untouched snow.   
“What are you looking at?” Emilia, asked.  
“The dead bodies.” Vappis quickly replied.  
“It’s weird right?” Maria remakred. “It looks like they died recently, but the dust on their clothes and the fact that the finger nails haven’t grown past their fingernails say otherwise.”   
“There’s also a lot of them.” Jacob joined in. “There's a lot more up ahead.” He continued as they continued to walk.  
“Why would their fingernails matter?” Emilia looked towards Maria for an answer.  
“When the human body dies, our finger and toenails are pushed out of the body.” Vappis answered. Maria, slowly backed away, staring at Vappis, hesitantly. Her eyes tore itself into his back as she asked a single question.  
“Vappis, whose grave did you rob.”   
“Clearly yours.” Vappis responded cheekily.  
“What do you mean mines?!” Emilia pouted, quickly walking to catch up. “I’m clearly alive.”  
“Really? How can you tell?” Vappis patronized. “How do you know that you are alive. We could all be living in a simulation. Or we are all dead and this is the afterlife. You never know.”   
“I’m alive because I am breathing.” Emilia declared.   
“And how do you know that you are breathing? How do you know the sensation that you are feeling is breathing? Is being alive? What if the sensations you are feeling right are what it feels like to be dead and we have been dead the entire time?”Emilia’s mouth walked in silence.  
“Just let me win for once.” Emilia muttered.  
“I did.” Vappis retorted. “5 days ago.”  
“Yeah, out of like 500 times!!!”  
“What do you mean. You definitely won more than once.”   
“It definitely doesn’t feel like it.” Emilia said under her breath.  
“What did you say?”   
“Nothing.” Emilia replied. The four continued to walk, making their way towards Sebastian. Vappis began to slow. Energy seemed to constantly be drained from him. His legs dragged against the ground and he began to pant. Sweat poured down his forehead until he collapsed. The stone floor felt cool against his skin.  
“Tired?” Maria asked, not really surprised.  
“No.” Vappis replied. Dejected, his head turned towards a bookshelf. Unable to do anything else, he began to scan the shelf as a book caught his eye. Titled Magic Craft Volume 1, the thick spined book seemed more like a textbook than anything else, but Vappis found it odd that he could read.  
“You don’t need to hide it.” Jacob began. “It’s not like it’s the first time you dropped dead out of nowhere.” Moving towards Vappis, Jacob picked him up and plopped him against a bookshelf.   
“When have I ever collapsed.” Vappis pleaded angrily.  
“Last year. You collapsed from fatigue right before our college board presentation” Emilia reported.   
“Hey! We aced that presentation.” Vappis shot back. “Ms. Jones is using that presentation as an example for AP. Seminar.” A smug smile began to creep upon Emilia’s face. I won Emilia mouthed.   
“Bruh. What does that even have to do with the fact you dropped dead right before your presentation.” Maria exclaimed. Vappis stayed silent. Breathing out a sigh, Vappis asked Jacob to grab a book.  
“Could you grab Magic Craft Volume 1 for me?”   
“Sure. Where is it?” Jacob promptly replied.   
“Bookshelf on the left, first shelf, where I fell.” Vappis answered. “There’s a lot of dust on it.”  
“There’s a lot of dust on everything.” Jacob remarked.  
“Just grab the book.” Vappis said wearily.   
“Fine Fine Fine Fine.” Jacob jested. “Geeze, what a dictator.” Grabbing the book, Jacob shoved it in front of Vappis. “This what you looking for?”  
“Yeah.” Vappis replied, as Jacob dropped the thick brick on Vappis’s lap. Slowly lifting his hand, Vappis opened the book.  
Looking up, “You guys can go ahead.” Vappis began. “Who knows what dumb shit Sebastian’s going to do.”  
“Yeah, but what are you going to do when you collapse again.” Maria exacerbated.   
“Just leave Emilia with me.” Vappis responded. Pondering for a moment, Maria nodded.   
“Don’t do anything stupid.” Maria told him.  
“What can I do when Emilia’s with me.” Vappis replied. With that Jacob and Maria left, leaving a slumped Vappis and a tired Emilia to fend for themselves. Taking a deep breath, a warm soothing feeling flooded his body. Taking more deep breaths, his fatigue slowly dissipated, and he opened the book.  
“I totally just won.” Emilia beamed.  
“Yeah.” Jacob answered. His eyes glued to the book.  
“You're not going to deny it?” Emilia asked, surprised.  
“Yeah.”   
“Hello?” Emilia asked.  
“Yeah.”  
“Are you listening?” Emilia demanded.  
“Yeah.”  
“You're totally not listening?!” Emilia exclaimed.   
“Yeah”  
“I just won against you.”  
“Yeah”  
“Stop ruining the moment for me!!!” Emilia roared.  
“You said something?” Vappis asked, turning towards Emilia.  
“Argh. I hate you.” Storming off, Vappis continued to read the book. His finger traced the strange runes on the page. Forgein and yet similar at the same time, Vappis read the book without difficulty. Sighing, he realized that Yggdrasil must have done something so he could read. As he continued, a thought occurred. Could the same be said for writing. Looking at the dust besides him began to write the word hi. Dragging his finger through the dust, he began to write the same runes that were found in the book, but what he wrote was undoubtedly the word hi. Smiling, Vappis couldn’t help but thank Yggdrasil for the gift. Looking back at the book, Vappis continued to read. His fingers traced the familiar runes, his eyes engraved the knowledge into the very fiber of his being as he continued the large text. Finished, Vappis got up. Walking towards a blank sheet of dust, he began to draw a large circle. As large as his body, it was filled by 5 smaller circles, each written in the same familiar runes that were found in the book as a symbol of fire was drawn in the center of it all. Interconnected by several lines of runes, satisfied, Vappis touched the circle. A feeling of something being drained overcame Vappis as he collapsed on the circle and a ball of fire appeared above him before exploding. Sparks set the dust into a sea of fire as Vappis slowly got roasted alive. His screams echoed the expansive library as his body laid limp. Tears erupted into steam as he called out Emilia’s name.  
“EMILIA! EMILIA! EMILIA!” She did not come. A feeling of something being drained out of him continued. Please move Vappis pleaded, his body remained still. Thick raging flames that stretched out to the heavens scorched his body, lashing out at it as if it finally had a meal. “JUST FUCKING MOVE!!!” Vappis pleaded, hot tears rolling down his cheeks erupted into steam. Realizing that he can’t move, a feeling of his impending death began to set in. “SOMEONE!! ANYONE!! PLEASE!!!” Vappis choked. “PLEASE SAVE ME!!!” Vappis pleaded. His tears flowed down his cheek like a river before quickly disappeared in a puff of steam. “SOMEONE!!! ANYONE!!! I”M RIGHT HERE!!! PLEASE SAVE ME!!!” The sea of red grew hazy as it became harder to speak. Hot air strangled his throat as Vappis tried to force the words out. “I’M RIght here.” Vappis murmured, and the world turned black as he grew empty.


	5. Chapter V

“Huh?” Vappis slowly woke up. Drop by drop, small tears slowly rolled down his face as the burns that scared his body healed. The tears were not his. Emilia crouched over him. Her long wavy hair lightly brushed his skin as tears streamed like a fountain. A warm green light could be felt as his skin became a tender white.  
“What the hell is wrong with you!” Emilia cried. The warm green light shook and flickered, the restoration of his flesh slowed. “Why would you do that!”  
“...”  
“Do you know how scared I was?”  
“...”  
“You were charcoal!”  
“...”  
“How would you feel if I burned alive in front of you huh?!”  
“At least you learned how to use magic..” Vappis deflected, chuckling a little bit.  
“THIS IS NOT FUNNY! YOU ALMOST DIED.”  
“I’m not dead yet.”  
“Vappis please…” Emilia began. Her voice caught in her throat. “Please treasure yourself.”  
“Don’t worry, I will.”  
“You always say that.” Emilia responded, wiping away her tears.  
“That's because I do.”  
“Does turning to charcoal sound like treasuring yourself?”  
“That was…” Vappis began, “An unforeseen consequence.”  
“A consequence of what?” Emilia chucked his skin now a pure snow white. “Seeing how long it would take for you to die by fire?”  
“No,” Vappis shot back. “I would die from carbon dioxide poisoning first before being burned to death.”  
“That doesn’t explain anything.” Emilia responded. “What the hell were you trying to do.”  
“You saw how I can’t really use magic right?”  
“Yeah,” Emilia responded, reminiscing how Vappis was trying to use a fireball as they walked. “At least you were able to use it to walk right?”  
“Yeah, but barely.” Vappis continued. “So I’m guessing that I just have very little mana in my body.”  
“Right” Emilia nodded along.  
“But what if I use magic without using any mana.”  
“That makes no sense,” Emilia immediately rejected, “The book said that you need mana to power a spell. How would you even use magic without mana?”  
“Artifacts are objects that can replicate magic,” Vappis responded, tapping the Magic Craft Volume 1. “That means that I can use magic without using any mana.”  
“But that doesn’t explain how you can use magic because you need a source of mana. Unless…” Emilia pondered. “You're using another source for mana other than yourself.”  
“BING BING BING” Vappis proclaimed, outstretching his hands as if Emilia just won a prize. “I need a mana stone.”  
“Mana stone?”  
“Yeah. They have mana and are apparently super common.” Vappis answered.  
“Okay. So how do we get it?”  
“I have no clue.”  
“What?”  
“Yeah, the book only said that artifacts are most commonly powered by mana stones. They never said what it is or how to get it.”  
“What the hell,” Emilia exclaimed, “Then what was the point of including that?”  
“The way to get it was probably common knowledge so they didn’t bother to put it in.” Vappis sighed.  
“But you were wrong.” Emilia proclaimed. “You can’t use magic without mana.”  
“I mean… Yeah. Of course not.”  
“But you just said you could.” Emilia accused.  
“Did I? I don’t remember.” Vappis responded.  
“You just did.” Emilia pushed.  
“Mmmmm, I’m not sure about that one chief.”  
“Oh my god, you're impossible.”  
“No. I’m Vappis.”  
“Can you just not.” Emilia began to get up and Vappis mirrored. “Also. Put on some pants.” Emilia demanded, looked to the side.  
“Fiiiiinnnnneeeee.” Vappis submitted, strolling off to rob a dead man of his clothes, only to come back minutes later empty-handed.  
“I thought I told you to cover yourself up!” Emilia pleaded.  
“Yeah… But the thing is that everybody is now a burnt chicken nugget”  
“What do you mean.”  
“Everything burned up, including the clothes. So I thought that we should just look together before I get lost.” Sighing, Emilia relented. The two of them walked back through the path that Emilia took to get there, finally arriving where Maria and Jacob left them. The dust on the floor, now black ash, lay bare as the bodies that once laid there as charcoal. The books remained intact and untouched. Reaching down, Vappis grabbed Volumes 2 and 3 of the Magic Craft textbook. Let’s go. Emilia motioned, leading him towards where Sebastian was. Vappis followed, without a single word.


End file.
